Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, we hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday!! It does appear we have decent chances of rain Sunday through Tuesday and then we see temps climb and stabilize into the 80s from mid week on. Overnight temps look to also stay warm which should really help the bite. Fishing has been very hit or miss, with many anglers struggling to find any consistent pattern to stay on fish. Water temps are still hovering right around the 70 degree mark.
Musky–The musky bite has been fair to decent I would say, small bucktails still seem to be getting it done. Fish are still holding on shallow weeds/structure. As temps warm up the top water bite that is starting should really pick up.
Northern pike–No change on the pike report, they are still eating anything and everything that is thrown their direction. Small baits, large baits, and live bait have all been catching pike. Anglers should target pike in shallow weeds and any shoreline shallow structure.
Walleye–The walleye bite has been tough to say the least. The midday bite has been better than the evening bite, and personally I think that is directly related to the lower water temps we have for the time of year. Fish still seem to be shallow and relating to weeds than you would typically see right now. As temps warm up and the lakes warm up fish should start to push deeper and be found on typical summer structure (rocks, deep sandy points). There have been some unconventional catches of walleye the past week on musky baits so don’t be afraid to throw bigger jerk baits, or crankbaits right now. If you prefer live bait, leeches seem to be the top choice.
LMB–The largemouth bite has probably been the best bite so far this year, with anglers doing well on everything from crawlers, to spinnerbaits, to topwater frogs getting it done. Look for fish in and around shallow weeds, lily pads, and reeds.
SMB–I honestly don’t have a lot on a smallmouth bite right now. It seems some anglers are catching them on live bait while fishing for other species. Anglers targeting them are doing ok on Ned rig style baits and other jigs and plastics. Smallies should be holding on deeper structure off of rocks and deep weed lines.
Crappie–Crappie action has been sporadic at best with no consistency to a bite. A few fish here and there has been the norm from spot to spot from what I am hearing. Minnows seem to be the best bait to use and cribs and other structures seem to be holding some fish. On lakes with more of a weed bite, anglers should look for crappie in the 6-10 FOW range and use the same presentations.
Bluegill/Perch–Anglers have been doing some of the best catching of panfish right off of the docks as of late. Fish are in shallow and pretty active. Nightcrawlers under a float seem to be the ticket to decent gills and perch lately. Look for fish in and around docks, and shorelines.
Fishing has still been tough and probably will be until these water temps come up a few degrees. Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.
Greg